Concussions and Confessions
by Ace Wrighter
Summary: Childhood fluff. After receiving a concussion from a basketball game, Miles learns how much Phoenix cares about him.
"Come on, Edgy!"

"Butz, how many times must I request you not to bastardize my name in such a manner?"

"What?" The confused 10-year-old scratched the top of his head and looked towards his friend for understanding. The boy next to him gave him an equally confused look as he shrugged his shoulders. Miles Edgeworth rolled his eyes at the two boys in front of him that had somehow managed to earn the title of "friend" in his book. He still wasn't sure why he choose to hang out with these two bumbling idiots—okay Phoenix Wright wasn't too bad—but then there was Larry Butz; an unthinkably inferior individual to someone of his intellect.

"Do not call me Edgy." Miles crossed his arms and turned his head up indignantly.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Larry asked with a sheepish grin. Sometimes Mile's vocabulary was a bit too much—almost to the point of showing off.

"I did." Miles shot a glance at Larry which told him it was time to be quiet. Larry looked towards Phoenix for help.

"Please come play basketball with us, Miles." Phoenix begged with a goofy smile that was purely Phoenix. Miles glanced towards him and tried to keep an uninterested look but felt his face falter ever so slightly.

' _Stupid Phoenix and his stupid smiles.'_ Miles thought miserably. He wasn't sure why, but ever since he defended him in the classroom trial, Miles couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation in his body when he looked at Phoenix. His heart would race just a little bit faster when faced with the spikey haired boy. It was annoying.

"Sorry, but I have other engagements at this current time." Miles looked away from Phoenix in hopes to get the tingling feeling out of his hands.

"You're engaged?!" Larry pushed Phoenix back slightly as he ran up to Miles. He put his hands on the other boy's shoulders and shook him feverously.

' _What do you know, that pin and needles feeling is gone.'_

"Butz, stop!" Miles shook him off of him with a huff. Great, now his shirt was wrinkled.

"Dude, who'd you propose to? You better not have taken Katie from me! You know how much I like Katie dude!" Were there tears in Larry's eyes?

"I didn't mean wedding engagements!" Miles shouted as he pushed Larry out of his personal space bubble. One could only handle so much of the Butz.

"So you don't have any engagements?" Larry asked for conformation. Miles rolled his eyes.

"Of course I don't!" He was ten for Christ's sake.

"Great, so you can come play basketball with me and Nick!" Larry reached behind him to grab Phoenix's hand and took Miles's in the other. Miles saw Phoenix let out that goofy grin of his again at being pulled along by the Butz and he felt those pins and needles return.

"Larry, what?" Miles tried to pull his hand out of Larry's, but his grip was too strong which resulted in Miles nearly losing his balance and face planting into the concrete.

"You just said you didn't have any engagements." Larry said triumphantly.

' _Outsmarted by the Butz.'_ Miles thought bitterly. Larry was going to pay for this one.

 **_page break_**

"You guys wait here; I'm going to go get my basketball." Larry announced once they arrived at his house. Miles immediately crossed his arms now that he was free from Larry's disgustingly sweaty hand. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny bottle of hand sanitizer he always carried with him. As he was squeezing some in his hand, he heard a small laugh next to him.

"What?" Miles suddenly felt self-conscious being alone with Phoenix laughing at him. He couldn't stop the small blush that was surely rising to his cheeks.

"You're such a germaphobe." Phoenix giggled.

"Am not." Miles sulked as he rubbed the hand sanitizer in paying extra attention to the hand that Larry was holding.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing." Phoenix sheepishly touched the back of his neck. "It's just something I've notice, really."

"Personally, I prefer it if my hands were not contaminated with whatever microbes happen to be living on the Butz's hands."

"You also like using long words, don't you?" Phoenix smiled, but Miles frowned in response. He would really appreciate it if Phoenix could stop making fun of his quirks. He couldn't help that he had picked up an impressive vocabulary.

' _Blame it on the law books.'_

"I don't know where Larry's hands have been." Miles crossed arms and turned his head away from Phoenix, but continued to look at him through his peripheral vision which happened to be blocked from Phoenix's view because of his bangs.

"I like the way you speak." Phoenix rested a hand on Miles's shoulder. The sensation sent a shiver down Miles's spin and the pins and needles he was feeling earlier intensified. Why did being alone with Phoenix cause these stupid sensations?

"It's… endearing." Phoenix looked as if he tried really hard to remember that word.

' _Endearing?'_ That certainly wasn't the word he would expect Phoenix Wright to call him. _'He probably doesn't even know what it means.'_

"Thanks. I think." Miles felt the blush from before strengthen.

"Um… Miles, do you think I'm endearing?" Phoenix asked shyly. He removed his hand from his shoulder and Miles felt himself tense up at the question.

"P-Phoenix!" He tried to form a coherent response, but all he managed was the squeak out the boy's name in an undignified manner. His throat went dry and he bit his lower lip. Was that what he had been feeling towards Phoenix Wright? Attraction? Certainly not! Miles Edgeworth was not attracted to-

"Ow!" Miles rubbed his shoulder as he felt a stinging pain shoot through his arm. He turned to see Larry smiling and waving.

"What was that for?" Miles asked with annoyance burning in his eyes.

"Let's play!" Larry exclaimed running to retrieve the basketball.

"How? We don't have an even number?" Miles rolled his eyes. Why didn't he think of this excuse before he was dragged here?

"We don't play teams; we just try and score." Phoenix clarified. Almost as if could sense what he was thinking, Phoenix continued, "Please don't leave because there's an odd number."

' _Stupid Phoenix.'_

 **_page break_**

Miles Edgeworth hated sports. He hated the running, the sweating, the panting. But most of all, Miles Edgeworth hated not being the best at what ever task he was trying to accomplish. Furthermore, he hated that Larry Butz was better than him at something.

' _If this were a court trial…'_

Miles tried to steal the ball back from Larry only for him to turn around him and make a shot. The ball bounced around the rim for a second before rolling in. Larry let out whoop of victory and ran over to get the ball.

"Come on, Edgy! You haven't even scored a point yet!" Larry teased.

"I told you not to use my last name in such a ridiculous manner."

"Edgyyy!" Larry sang in what seemed like an attempt to rill up his friend. "You're just upset because you're losing."

"Well, I haven't had the chance to even shoot the ball yet." Miles tried to defend himself. Yeah, that was the only reason he was losing.

"Then I'll give you a free throw." Larry tossed the ball to Miles and he barely managed to catch it in time. "If you can make a basket from this distance, then you and I are tied."

' _Challenged accepted._ '

"And, if I make this, I'm going home."

"Aw... you're no fun." Larry protested but the glance from Miles had him agreeing with the terms.

Mile concentrated on the basket. How hard would it be to throw a ball ten feet? It was purely a matter of simple geometry and physics at work. All he had to do was for the-

"Ow!"

Miles looked over in horror when he saw Phoenix on the ground with his hand over his mouth. Oops.

"P-Phoenix!" He ran over to his friend and knelt down to the ground. Acting on auto pilot, he grabbed Phoenix's wrist and moved his hand away from his mouth so he could inspect the damage. He regretted that decision as when he saw the blood on Phoenix's hand and nearly passed out.

"I didn't mean to! I-I, um… er…" Panicked, Miles forced Phoenix's hand back onto his mouth with a bit too much force earning another 'ow' from his friend.

"Calm down, Edgy. You look paler than Nick and he's the one with blood gushing out of his mouth." Larry teased. Miles shot him a look of disgust.

"G-go get your mom Larry." Miles ordered.

Slightly intimidated by his voice, Larry ran inside his house in search for his mother.

"Phoenix, are you okay? I didn't mean to- I mean I don't know how the ball ended up on your face-"

"Miles, calm down. I'm okay!"

"Your lip is gushing out blood! And oh my god is that your tooth?" Okay, he was definitely about to faint.

' _Deep breaths, Miles.'_

Phoenix raised an eyebrow before following Mile's gaze at the ground. A grin spread across Phoenix's face, but it was quickly replaced with a wince of pain. He reached down to pick up the tooth that had fallen out of his mouth moments ago.

"Hey, thanks, Miles! This thing has been loose for months!" Without thinking Phoenix patted Mile's on the shoulder but quickly pulled his hand back at the horrified look on his friend's face. Phoenix felt stupid for forgetting Miles's fear of blood.

He heard a small thump next to him and realized that Miles had lost conciseness. He started to panic, but thankfully Larry's mom was rushing outside with Larry behind. She looked at Phoenix with concern, but her gaze shifted to alert when she saw Miles passed out next to him. What had happened?

 **_page break_**

Miles awoke to the sound of paper crinkling underneath his body and bright florescent lights blaring into his soul. His head pounded like a drum and the lighting made him feel a bit nauseous. Just where exactly was he?

"Dude you're not dead!" Miles moved his hands to his ears and shut his eyes. That voice was too pricing for his aching head to process.

"Larry, try and keep your voice down. He's probably got a concussion." A sense of relief rushed through Miles as the sound of his father's voice calmed him.

' _Wait, did he say concussion?'_

"Wait! How-how long have I been asleep?" His heart raced a little faster. He heard his father let out a small chuckle. What was so funny?

"Relax, Miles. You've only been out for half an hour." His father came up to ruffle his unruly bangs. Miles moved to cover his face with embarrassment; although he did enjoy having his father play with his hair in an affectionate manner, he did not enjoy having it done in front of his friends.

"Do you remember what happened?" His father spoke again.

Miles's eyes danced underneath his closed eyelids as he struggled to recall what had happened half an hour earlier. The memory seemed hard to retrieve—almost like a dream that was slipping away as you moved closer to consciousness. All of a sudden, he felt worry bubble inside his stomach. He couldn't really remember all too well, so where did his other memories go? Did he still have his vast knowledge of the law inside his brain? How was he to pass the bar by the age of 18 if he couldn't even remember the events from only an hour ago?

' _A holdover tenancy is- is… the situation when a… tenant of real estate… continues… to occupy- to occupy… the premises-'_

"Miles check out my cool stiches!" A voice broke him from his train of though and he felt his head pound once again from the loud sound.

"Nick you have to whisper because Edgy's got a concoction!" Larry yelled. How ironic that he was telling Phoenix to be quiet when he himself was shouting.

"A what?" He heard Phoenix's cute, confused-

' _Cute? Maybe this brain injury is more serious than I thought.'_

"A concussion, Larry; he might have a concussion." He heard his father gently correct his ignorant friend. Upon seeing to scared look on Phoenix's face, Gregory continued. "The doctor still needs to perform some tests before we can say for sure. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Nick, you look like Edgy's just died! His dad just said he was okay." Larry really needed to learn to use an inside voice.

"Please stop yelling!" Miles jerked his head around a bit too quickly and suddenly felt a huge wave of nausea hit him again. He couldn't stop the moan of pain that escaped his lips.

"Miles, be careful." His father chastised.

"Sorry about the whole blood thing." Miles could almost see Phoenix rubbing the back of his neck even with his eyes closed. "I kind of forget that it was all over my hand."

Miles felt something click in his head as the memory of playing basketball slowly infiltrated his thoughts. A few more pieces of the missing time was coming back to him.

"But uh… hey, call it revenge for busting my lip!" He heard Phoenix walk closer to where he was laying.

' _Oh yeah, I knocked his tooth out with a basketball.'_ Miles felt the guilt rush back to him at the thought. He was never playing sports again. Ever.

"I- I didn't mean-"

"S-sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I was just joking. Uh… and you now the tooth fairy's gonna visit, so um… thanks! Uh… I was kind of broke but-"

"Woah, you're right Nick! Hey, Edgy, will you knock out my tooth as well?" He heard Larry run up next to Phoenix.

His father let out another chuckle before speaking to his friends.

"Okay, that's enough you two." Gregory Edgeworth's tone was firm yet gentle—a tone that Miles himself really should learn. He really didn't mean to sound so off-putting all the time, but it was the only way he knew how to get people to actually listen to him.

"Why don't we give him some space. How's your lip Phoenix?"

At being spoken to by the older Edgeworth, Phoenix quickly fixed his posture. Something about Miles's father made him feel slightly more intimidated than need be.

"It's fine, sir. Really!" Phoenix couldn't help the next sentence that came out of his mouth. "Please don't sue me for giving your son a repercussion!"

Miles heard his dad let out a strong laugh.

"If anything, you should sue Miles for his lack of athletic grace." The man continued to chuckle.

"Father!" Regret. Regret.

' _My head is killing me.'_ The drums in his head pounded louder at his own outburst.

The door suddenly opened and a doctor followed by Phoenix and Larry's moms walked into the room. Gregory gave a small nod to acknowledge the three new members.

"Mom! Miles has a crustacean!" Larry ran over to his mom to tell her the exciting new once again forgetting to keep his voice down. His mother let out a sigh before giving a small chuckle. Honestly, Larry was too much even for her at times.

"You mean a conscious." Phoenix tapped Larry on the shoulder. He felt his mom place her hands on his shoulders and give them a squeeze. Phoenix looked up to see his mom giving him a bemused look.

"I think you two mean a concussion." Mrs. Wright corrected softly. She turned towards the Edgeworths. "How are you feeling Miles?"

"I want to die." The ten-year-old whined trying to keep as still as possible.

"Well that's not good." The doctor said walking over to the examination table.

"Sorry we came in right as your shift was about to end, Doctor." Gregory apologized as he shook the man's hand. The doctor smiled and shook his head.

"Not a problem, Gregory." He turned towards Miles. "It's been a while since I've last seen you, Mr. Future Attorney."

Miles didn't respond. He felt as if he was being mocked when he heard the doctor recite what he had told him last time he was at his yearly check-up. Why did it always sound so juvenile when adults addressed him as a "future attorney?" Maybe he should consider ceasing that introduction.

"Your head hurting that bad eh?" The doctor asked.

"Future defense attorney Miles Edgeworth chooses death." Great, now Larry was mocking him too.

"Miles, could you please open your eyes?" The doctor asked. Reluctantly, he did so. "You came in with a nasty bump on the back of your head. I'm just need to perform a few tests with you to see if you have a concussion or not."

"Okay." Had lights always been so obnoxiously bright?

 **_page break_**

"Edgyyy!" Larry swung open Mile's bedroom door and flung his backpack haphazardly on the floor. Phoenix followed in suit but instead set his backpack down a little more carefully. Phoenix couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him from the look Miles was giving the Butz.

"Dude, you are so lucky that you get to miss school for a week!" Larry hopped onto Miles's bed despite the death glare his was receiving at the moment.

' _I need to make sure father sterilizes these sheets once they leave.'_

"And Nick got ten dollars from the tooth fairy last night. How come you two get all the fun? I won the basketball game and I don't get anything!" Larry continued to drone on about nothing.

"Larry, there are popsicles in the freezer downstairs. You can have one if you shut up."

"The strawberry kind?" Larry asked already sliding off the bed.

"Yes. However, if you choose to eat one, I forbid you for doing so in my room. You may eat it in the kitchen with the trashcan under you."

"I said I was sorry, dude!" Larry whined earning another laugh from Phoenix. If there was one thing Miles hated it was messes, and if there was one thing Larry was, it was a mess.

"You can have two if you leave now."

"Deal!" With that, Larry ran out of the room leaving Phoenix and Miles alone. Suddenly aware of this situation, Miles felt his head start to spin more than if had been all day. A blush made its way to his face and he sunk lower in his bed in an attempt to hide it.

"Y-you can have one as well." Miles said in search of a way to get Phoenix to leave his room.

' _But I don't want him to leave.'_

"Oh, uh… no thanks. I already had a snack at school." Miles followed Phoenix's gaze to his bed.

' _I guess Larry already contaminated the covers; I was going to have the wash them anyways.'_

"Yes, Phoenix, you can sit on my bed." Miles let out a sigh. He saw Phoenix's face light up but only for a second as it was replaced by pain. Miles's heart speed up ever so slightly at the sight.

"How's your lip?" Why did he feel so awkward?

"Oh it's fine! I mean, it's kind of sore, but uh… it's probably better than your head."

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. Why did being alone with Phoenix feel like this? When he was around Larry, all he felt was a constant sense of annoyance—and maybe a little companionship—emphases on little. But when he was one-on-one with Phoenix, he felt more shy than normal. And then there was the tingling feeling in his hands and legs that made thinking a little bit harder. What was it about Phoenix Wright that was different from Larry Butz? They were both kind of clueless, but Phoenix's cluelessness was endearing.

' _Endearing.'_ There was that word again. Phoenix had called him endearing right before Larry interrupted them. And he asked him if he thought he was endearing as well.

' _Do I find Phoenix endearing? I mean, yeah, he's got his charms. That goofy smile of his, and his hair—that is definably not natural. And the way he rubs his neck when he's nervous is a cute tick of his._

 _Cute… I called him that yesterday as well. Yeah, I guess Phoenix is kind of cute. His eyes are nice. They're a lovely shade of dark blue; they're like a vast ocean that you could easily get lost into. Not that I've even thought too much about his eyes._

 _Yeah, Phoenix Wright was most certainly cute and endearing.'_

"Miles, say something!" He was suddenly very aware of a frantic Phoenix gesticulating wildly in front of his face. He jumped a little.

"Ah… sorry." He really needed to work on not falling into reverie when others were around. His father had gotten on to him about that multiple times.

" _A good lawyer must be able to think on his feet while also listening to what is going on around them."_

"P-please don't scare me like that." Wait, was Phoenix about to cry?

"Wa-"

"I-I know it's my fault that you have a percussion-"

"Concussion."

"Whatever!" Miles was taken aback by Phoenix's outburst. Also it made his head hurt.

"My point is- is that you scared me. I- you- you couldn't remember some stuff yesterday and your eyes and ears were so sensitive-"

At saying this Phoenix lowered his voice before continuing.

"I thought- I thought you were going to die because of me. And you didn't help when you said you felt like death! Miles, I-I care about you. You're my best friend."

By this point Phoenix's checks were wet with tears. 

"You believed me when no one else did. We weren't even friends then, and you still defended me. I've never really been good at making friends and for the first time, I felt like I had a friend. I can't lose you Miles. Because…"

Phoenix got quiet and Miles could hear the rapid beating of his own heart. His face was flushed at hearing such a heartfelt confession from his-

' _Best friend.'_ Phoenix Wright is his best friend. _His_ best friend.

"Because what?" Miles whispered. He couldn't look Phoenix in the eyes. He didn't mean to cause his best friend so much worry. Honestly, it was him that should be feeling what Phoenix was feeling; he was the one that took a basketball to the face.

"Because… because I- I think I- I like you more than a friend!" Phoenix shut his eyes and prepared to be onslaught with a series of laughs and taunts. That's usually what happened every time Larry told another girl that he liked her. Why should Miles be any different?

' _He- he what?! Was this feeling seriously mutual the whole time? What was the word that father used when I told him about Larry and Katie? A crush? Was this a crush? Phoenix certainly said all the things Larry says about the girls he exhibits unrequired love for._

 _But, this feels genuine._

 _This isn't some silly confession. This is something that's been building up with in him for a while._

 _And I think I feel the same way too.'_

Phoenix opened his eyes and caught Miles biting his lip in thought. Well, he wasn't laughing. Or maybe he was biting his lip to keep from laughing. He let out a small whimper at the thought of being rejected.

"Thanks to you, I am saddled with unnecessary… feelings." Miles grabbed Phoenix's hand in his in order to get the boy to look at him. At the confused look he received from Phoenix, he elaborated, or rather he simplified what he was trying to say.

"I like you more than a friend as well." Wow, the room was spinning really fast.

Phoenix's face quickly turned into a smile, which would have been bigger if it weren't for the stiches. In a burst of excitement, he threw himself at Miles in a hug. He heard him let out a small grunt, but soon felt a pair of shaky arms encircle him back.

' _Larry was right. We did get the better end of that basketball game.'_


End file.
